Thankfully, Ken has been attended to and doing well........................
50 can be very lonesome.................................
Karen and I held our breath until we read "surgery successful and doing well."
I still owe the man a few beers for an AMAZING ride.........................

Rob Jamie was also in an accident.................................
Hit a mountain lion........A Freakin' Montain Lion !!!!!!!!
What are the chances ??

I just talked to Ernie, who is a close family friend with Ken and his Wife Dale.

Dale is on the way to Reno by plane. Ernie and Pauline will be going to Reno also. Ernie said he will keep me informed so I can continue to be the voice to the group here.

As far as what happened, no one knows, as Ken has not talked about that, not even with Dale.

Good things:
Ken evidently never lost consciousness, and had medical attention within minutes, which is amazing considering where it happened. He was being taken by ambulance to Reno, but on the way across hwy 50 was transferred to helicopter.

He was operated on this morning, they had to remove his spleen, and put in a chest tube. He also has some broken fingers which have been attended to, and broken ribs.

Reports by people that have interfaced with him are that he has been perfectly lucid and able to give good information to anyone needing it. Injuries were serious, but non life threatening. Neurologically he seems to be in great shape, can move all his limbs, and seems to be doing as well as can be expected.

As far as what may have happened, as I said, anything would be pure speculation at this time, and Ernie said not to worry, whatever it is will probably be the subject of a seminar by Ken later.

I know we are all sad to see what was looking like an unbeatable run be stopped so near the end. But, now that this has happened we can all be very thankful that we will still have our Ken, to be listened to, respected, and admired, and yes even picked on by all of us. He is certainly a number one in my book.

I just talked to Ernie, who is a close family friend with Ken and his Wife Dale.

Dale is on the way to Reno by plane. Ernie and Pauline will be going to Reno also. Ernie said he will keep me informed so I can continue to be the voice to the group here.

As far as what happened, no one knows, as Ken has not talked about that, not even with Dale.

Good things:
Ken evidently never lost consciousness, and had medical attention within minutes, which is amazing considering where it happened. He was being taken by ambulance to Reno, but on the way across hwy 50 was transferred to helicopter.

He was operated on this morning, they had to remove his spleen, and put in a chest tube. He also has some broken fingers which have been attended to, and broken ribs.

Reports by people that have interfaced with him are that he has been perfectly lucid and able to give good information to anyone needing it. Injuries were serious, but non life threatening. Neurologically he seems to be in great shape, can move all his limbs, and seems to be doing as well as can be expected.

As far as what may have happened, as I said, anything would be pure speculation at this time, and Ernie said not to worry, whatever it is will probably be the subject of a seminar by Ken later.

I know we are all sad to see what was looking like an unbeatable run be stopped so near the end. But, now that this has happened we can all be very thankful that we will still have our Ken, to be listened to, respected, and admired, and yes even picked on by all of us. He is certainly a number one in my book.

Thanks again David for your excellent reports throughout and now more importantly, following up with updates on Ken whom we all wish well and a speedy recovery.

Wonder if Ken triggered his "911" button on the SPoT tracker. I am a faithful user of SPoT and often question myself about the ability to punch the "911" button in case of an accident and also how the response goes.

Wonder if Ken triggered his "911" button on the SPoT tracker. I am a faithful user of SPoT and often question myself about the ability to punch the "911" button in case of an accident and also how the response goes.

Don S

I don't know any details about how he got medical response that quick. Ernie said that there seemed to be no witnesses to the actual accident, so either a driver was there soon, or somehow Ken was able to contact someone.

Having just ridden this very road a couple weeks ago, yes it is very desolate, there is nothing for miles and miles at a time. And to ride it at night, who knows what kind of critters are scurrying accross the road.

Best wishes to Ken for a speedy recovery. As others have stated, you done us all proud. I have been following the IBR since the mid 90's, and I have never seen anything like what you just accomplished, you ran one hell of a rally. YOU ARE THE MAN!

Ken is in good hands now. Dayle, his wife is a great and supportive gal. Ernie and Pauline are on their way soon. Another great couple to lend a hand with whatever is needed. Ken, Heal quickly and fully.See ya on the road again soon.

Certainly he was heading for Carson City and Sacramento, and probably San Ysidro. I imagine Phoenix was out of the question... do you know what time his Spot stopped moving?

It might be interesting to extrapolate his finish once the Leg 3 bonus values are known.

His last moving track spot was 6:45 PM Pacific.

Yes, he was headed for Carson City, Sacramento, and San Ysidro. It was going to be close, but I have confidence he would have made it. He had about 900 miles to go, with 15 hours to do it. For Ken, this would have been a no brainer to take on.

If he had, it would have been an absolutely EPIC ride. It was a monster one as it was. Even though he did not finish, I would imagine this ride will keep him in high regard in the LD riding community.

Yes, he was headed for Carson City, Sacramento, and San Ysidro. It was going to be close, but I have confidence he would have made it. He had about 900 miles to go, with 15 hours to do it. For Ken, this would have been a no brainer to take on.

If he had, it would have been an absolutely EPIC ride. It was a monster one as it was. Even though he did not finish, I would imagine this ride will keep him in high regard in the LD riding community.

That is what I meant Thursday evening when I said that in about 3 hours I would know if it was going to be "I thought so", or "OMG". I saw he was heading for Salt Lake City, and was waiting to see if he headed back down I-15 toward San Ysidro, or West toward Carson City. As soon as I saw him headed West on I-80, I knew it was either "Holy Cow" (Carson City to San Ysidro), or "OMG", Carson, Sacramento, San Ysidro.

Then when he dropped of I-80 onto 93 south to 50, I knew he was riding roads he liked, and felt it would be faster than I-80. When I talked to Ernie, he said that they had discussed this before the rally, having run I-80 recently and running into construction, and other craziness, so Ken decided that 50 would give him the best chance if he got that far.

Ken had stopped on 50 about an hour and 45 minutes before his accident, and transmitted the "Temp Stop" flag, we still do not know what that was about. That had worried me, as I was thinking he must have been experiencing some kind of problem

Sleep was not the issue, because he had a good solid 8 hours in Santa Fe for the sleep bonus. He was rested and chomping at the bit.

We will have to wait until Ken settles back down to daily life and is ready to talk about it.

I am pretty drained from all this, as watching his track closely for days on end, and trying to guess where he was going next was a real mental excercise. Then last night when he got on 50 headed for Carson City I was really hooked, wondering how he was going to do it and leave any breathing room, knowing he had some high traffic areas to contend with later in the day. When he stopped, my heart was in my throat, and I felt pretty helpless. I had his phone number, but it was getting "mailbox full" recordings. Needless to say, I did not sleep much last night.

This morning's news that he was hurt, but doing OK was a HUGE relief, far overcoming the sadness that he would not finish the rally, so I was high and smiling again.

That is what I meant Thursday evening when I said that in about 3 hours I would know if it was going to be "I thought so", or "OMG". I saw he was heading for Salt Lake City, and was waiting to see if he headed back down I-15 toward San Ysidro, or West toward Carson City. As soon as I saw him headed West on I-80, I knew it was either "Holy Cow" (Carson City to San Ysidro), or "OMG", Carson, Sacramento, San Ysidro.

Then when he dropped of I-80 onto 93 south to 50, I knew he was riding roads he liked, and felt it would be faster than I-80. When I talked to Ernie, he said that they had discussed this before the rally, having run I-80 recently and running into construction, and other craziness, so Ken decided that 50 would give him the best chance if he got that far.

Ken had stopped on 50 about an hour and 45 minutes before his accident, and transmitted the "Temp Stop" flag, we still do not know what that was about. That had worried me, as I was thinking he must have been experiencing some kind of problem

Sleep was not the issue, because he had a good solid 8 hours in Santa Fe for the sleep bonus. He was rested and chomping at the bit.

We will have to wait until Ken settles back down to daily life and is ready to talk about it.

I am pretty drained from all this, as watching his track closely for days on end, and trying to guess where he was going next was a real mental excercise. Then last night when he got on 50 headed for Carson City I was really hooked, wondering how he was going to do it and leave any breathing room, knowing he had some high traffic areas to contend with later in the day. When he stopped, my heart was in my throat, and I felt pretty helpless. I had his phone number, but it was getting "mailbox full" recordings. Needless to say, I did not sleep much last night.

This morning's news that he was hurt, but doing OK was a HUGE relief, far overcoming the sadness that he would not finish the rally, so I was high and smiling again.

Thank you for all of your efforts David, It was a huge relief here as well that Ken is OK. Our thoughts are with him and his wife and family. What an amazing ride!

David
Knowing that you put in many hours, day and night, doing the tracking and talking to Ken, you must be exhausted. We certainly appreciate your efforts. You made the Ken/IBR a super event for me and I am sure for others.
Thanks
Don S

David
Knowing that you put in many hours, day and night, doing the tracking and talking to Ken, you must be exhausted. We certainly appreciate your efforts. You made the Ken/IBR a super event for me and I am sure for others.
Thanks
Don S

I second that. For those who haven't had the pleasure of meeting or working with David there are few people I'd rather have in my corner. We miss him out here in So. Calif. I know Ken thinks the world of him.

This has been an exciting week thanks to David's reporting on Ken's ride. I am just glad Ken is going to be fine, he is probably figuring out how to outfit a GT1600 already. Thanks again to David for all the work, and Ken get well soon!

Kenny, what a great ride you had going, get well quickly. I was routing for you right from the start. I am from the right coast so I really can't offer any assistance but if you need anything from Central New York please let me know.

I have known Ken for quite some time now. I have tried to keep up with him but I have never been able to. I bought a GT and thought that would be the ticket to keep up with him on his then LT. I could almost do it. Then he bought his first GT. The chase was over since then. That boy can ride! A super Meese you might say. I was on another site and came across this video. Since he is ok and has a sense of humor, I thought he may get a chuckle out of it. (after his ribs heal of course) http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12249708/super-meese

Unfortunate accident for Ken, because he did have the correct strategy to win. I've never met Tom Austin from the IBR org but I would think he has a little crow to chew on. Midway through the rally his reports indicated that the Four Corner strategy was a losing strategy. The winner went from way back in the pack to winning by implementing the Four Corner strategy. Ken had it pegged correctly. I hope Ken heals fast and gets another chance the IBR.

Unfortunate accident for Ken, because he did have the correct strategy to win. I've never met Tom Austin from the IBR org but I would think he has a little crow to chew on. Midway through the rally his reports indicated that the Four Corner strategy was a losing strategy. The winner went from way back in the pack to winning by implementing the Four Corner strategy. Ken had it pegged correctly. I hope Ken heals fast and gets another chance the IBR.

Don S

I see it quite differently. Unless I am missing something, Ken's strategy was to ride balls-out for 11 days - trying to fit Alaska and the Four-Corners into the 48 state / state capital format.

Reminds me of a quote from the movie Top Gun - Jester: "That was some of the best flying I've seen to date...Right up to the part where you got killed."

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For those who wish to follow Ken's progress toward a full recovery, Ken's wife Dayle is maintaining a blog and will do her best to provide daily updates. You can find the blog here: http://www.cyvarwydd.blogspot.com/

Just had a short conversation Ken. He is doing as well as could be expected and would like to pass on his appreciation for all the thoughts and well wishes. He would also really appreciate if all the speculation and comments about his ride would slow to a stop for now.
Ken did relay that he was well rested going in to the last day of his ride with 7+ hours of down time. Again thanks so much for all the support and well wishes. I'm sure Ken will be on line and posting soon.

Just breezed through this thread for the first time.... holy smokes....
all I can say is glad he's being cared for and will be OK.
We carried a SPOT tracker on our recent round Oz trip for the possibility something might happen in the middle of nowhere, thankfully never needed to use it in a serious emergency (almost... but not bad enough). If it made the difference for Ken, then its been a great investment.
Best wishes on his recovery!

Sorry Ken,
All the speculation and comments won't slow for a while. It was so much fun for us to watch the progress and your ride. We rode with you vicariously while we were at work, home, travelling, doing "honey do's". You brought us all together as the "BMWLT" community doing the IBR. It was great for us and you're a credit to this site. Thank you for the ride and the thrills you gave us. I hope you heal well and get back in the saddle soon.

Sorry Ken,
All the speculation and comments won't slow for a while. It was so much fun for us to watch the progress and your ride. We rode with you vicariously while we were at work, home, travelling, doing "honey do's". You brought us all together as the "BMWLT" community doing the IBR. It was great for us and you're a credit to this site. Thank you for the ride and the thrills you gave us. I hope you heal well and get back in the saddle soon.

I agree. There are those who don't understand long distance riding and are aching for a chance to criticize but most of us just need to understand. Not only because we care about what happened to a very skilled fellow rider but we desire to learn from this incident.
It will certainly help to hear Ken's account but that will understandably have to wait. He has to be going through some rough times right now, both physically and mentally. It takes a while to process an event like this, especially if your memory is a bit fuzzy. He can't be expected to explain it to us until he can explain it to himself.

I agree. There are those who don't understand long distance riding and are aching for a chance to criticize but most of us just need to understand. Not only because we care about what happened to a very skilled fellow rider but we desire to learn from this incident.

I agree also. If you are referring to me, please understand that back in April 2008 I rode with Ken from Santa Monica to Jacksonville for a 50CC and then continued north into Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Arkansas. Since Ken was leading the entire way (he had the V-1 ) I was able to watch him do all that he does while riding for about 3,800 miles.

I have to say that Jim has put it as well as I could have, if not better! Whether you are willing to acknowledge it or not Ken, you have a huge following in the community here. If you must blame anyone, blame David for the great job of keeping us all up to speed on your venture. Meanwhile, we all thank him for allowing us to feel as if we were riding along!

Get well buddy. And know that the speculation will not quit. That would be like stopping a controversial discussion thread on this Site! And we all know that you enjoy those!

John

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Horse

Sorry Ken,
All the speculation and comments won't slow for a while. It was so much fun for us to watch the progress and your ride. We rode with you vicariously while we were at work, home, travelling, doing "honey do's". You brought us all together as the "BMWLT" community doing the IBR. It was great for us and you're a credit to this site. Thank you for the ride and the thrills you gave us. I hope you heal well and get back in the saddle soon.

I agree also. If you are referring to me, please understand that back in April 2008 I rode with Ken from Santa Monica to Jacksonville for a 50CC and then continued north into Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Arkansas. Since Ken was leading the entire way (he had the V-1 ) I was able to watch him do all that he does while riding for about 3,800 miles.

Relax Ted, I didn't have anyone in mind. I was referring to personal experience with those who think my enjoyment of long distance riding is crazy. I can just hear the 'I told you so's' if I have trouble on the road. That is the last thing I'm going to want to hear while I'm aching physically, mourning the loss of my bike, and second guessing any of the actions or decisions that may have contributed to my problems. This will take a while for Ken to digest, I hope he decides to fill us in later but understand there may be reasons he can't.
I agree following Ken is an experience not to be missed. I consider myself to be a good rider but riding with Ken stretches my skills in a positive way.

Thanks Michael. All I was saying in my initial post was that I think Alaska was a red herring this time, as compared to Martha's Vineyard in the 2009 IBR.

For the Top Ten finishers this year, four completed the Four Corners (including winner Behm, 3rd place Frens, and 9th Place Johnson on a 2003 LT!).

Four (including 2nd Place Jewell, 5th Place Gran, 6th Place Talken-Spaulding, and 10th Sperry completed neither Alaska nor the Four Corners.

4th Place Sinclair completed Alaska (2nd Place at the end of Leg 2)

8th Place Peek completed Alaska and the Four Corners, but fell from 3rd Place at the end of Leg 2.

The Alaska goers Meese, Sinclair and Peek were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively at the end of Leg 2, and DNF, 4th, and 8th respectively at the finish.

Conversely, Loftus, Johnson, and Behm were 11th, 12th and 13th respectively at the end of LEG 2 and finished 7th, 9th and 1st respectively. They all completed just the Four Corners.

Similarly, Jewell, Talken-Spaulding, Gran and Sperry were 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th respectively at the end of Leg 2 and finished 2nd, 6th, 5th and 10th. These were the folks that did not do Alaska nor the Four Corners.

Interestingly, Jewel was the most Proficient (or efficient) rider (points/miles) meaning he got the most points per mile traveled, followed by Behm and Sinclair.

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